Congratulations
by airsalonpasandpettysquabbles
Summary: "Master Kenobi, wait a moment. In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you." "Training?" "An old friend has learned the path to immortality." "Who?" "One who has returned from the netherworld of the Force to train me . . . your old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn." Or: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have a well needed chat.


A/N - After watching the Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, I thought about how Obi-Wan deserves more appreciation for what he did. I was tempted to write an angsty fic but then thought about how we don't see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's long-awaited reunion. Ergo, here is a mix of both.

...

After his talk with Yoda, Obi-Wan delivered the boy, Luke, to his extended family; his uncle and aunt. It wasn't goodbye, for he was going to watch over the boy throughout the years to come, until one day, he would train him in the ways of the Jedi. Until then, he would stay hidden in the shadows. And so, he established himself on Tatooine, the coarse planet that his former Padawan used to whine about, ready to spend another twenty years in solitude.

The first couple of days were the worst. He was left to find a place to stay, food to find, water to drink, the basic needs of survival. Not to mention the heat, albeit the late-summer tan, didn't do much to improve his state of confinement. Was it truly confinement when it was _his_ mistake he had to fix? Indeed, he found solace in the sole reason for his prolonged stay on Tatooine; he _was_ going to fix his past mistakes. _Redemption._ It seemed it was the only reasoning he could find throughout his life. Redemption to his Master, for not being able to save him, or perhaps for not being a good enough apprentice, by training the proclaimed chosen one. Redemption to his Padawan, for failing him and for letting him turn, by helping Padme give birth and hiding Luke and his existence from his rightful father. Perhaps the latter was not a good thing, if Anakin- Vader knew, he would not be happy, to say the least. But it was for the good of the boy, yes, it was better like this. Redemption to himself, and maybe to the whole galaxy, for creating a monster, for doing the exact opposite of what Jedi stood for; peace throughout the galaxy. And how would he redeem himself? By assuring that Luke was indeed stronger than his father, and attempt to make him overthrow _both_ Sith Lords? Sith, he was too old for this. What would Qui-Gon do if he were here? He was even _older_ , not to mention wiser than Obi-Wan himself. Surely he would know what to do, who to turn to. He meditated on this for a while, before falling deep into his memories.

 _"Master Kenobi, wait a moment. In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you."_

 _"Training?"_

 _"An old friend has learned the path to immortality."_

 _"Who?"_

 _"One who has returned from the netherworld of the Force to train me . . . your old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn."_

At first, he had looked forward to seeing his old Master; thinking up conversation topics they could discuss, imagining what he would look like, longing for his comfort that he had oh so missed over the years. Many a thing they had to do to make up for lost time, and he couldn't contain his excitement and awe, which blinded him of the truth. It was only until later that his fantasies were crushed, the reality and gravity of things settling on his shoulders.

 _"Obi-Wan, make an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you. Make a midi-chlorian count."_

 _"Something must be wrong with the transmission, the reading's off the chart...over twenty thousand."_

 _"That's it then," Qui-Gon whispered, almost to himself._ And that it was. Had his Master awaited a new Padawan, the chosen one nonetheless, long before they arrived on Tatooine? If so, why take on Obi-Wan as an apprentice, just to toss him aside like a broken toy? Was he just to pass the time?

 _"Start getting this hyperdrive generator installed. I'm going back...some unfinished business. I won't be long."_

 _A bit angry and resentful that his Master didn't confide in him, and that whatever, whoever, had gotten his full attention must've been most important, more-so than him, he let out a remorseful and sarcastic, not to mention smart-alecky, remark. "Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic life form?"_

 _Qui-Gon shot him a quick glare, full of dissatisfaction and slight disappointment. "It's the boy who's responsible for getting those parts."_

 _Of course, Obi-Wan was ashamed of himself for even questioning Qui-Gon's motives and decisions, but he felt something else that day, something that overrode his shame. He felt the force whispering in his ear, the tingling sensation, cold and grim, leaving shivers down his spine. But as soon as the dark aura of the force had surrounded him, it was gone._

 _He quickly forgot the slight disturbance in the force and went back to his task at hand._

He shouldn't have let such a thing slide.

 _Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stand outside the palace on a balcony, discussing Anakin's fate._

 _"The boy will not pass the Council's tests, master, and you know it. He is far too old."_

 _"Anakin will become a Jedi, I promise you."_

 _"Don't defy the Council, Master. Not again."_

 _"I will do what I must."_

 _"Master, you could be sitting on the Council by now if you would just follow the code. They will not go along with you this time."_

 _"You still have much to learn, my young apprentice."_

He tried to warn him, they all did. Qui-Gon was too defiant and stubborn to realize what he was getting himself into. More like what he was getting Obi-Wan into. When he and Anakin first met, he instantly knew that the boy was going to be the catalyst of something big. Something huge.

 _"Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."_

 _"Pleased to meet you. Wow! You're a Jedi too?"_

 _Obi-Wan only gave the boy a skeptical look, like he knew there was a long road of suffering ahead._ If only he could go back in time, Obi-Wan would certainly change the past and try to prevent all these unfortunate events from happening. He would tell his past-self that the future was one big train-wreck just waiting to happen. Obviously, he could do no such thing, unless the training he was supposed to execute included a time travel segment, but he doubted it. That's right, _the training._

He was suddenly pulled from his musings by an unexpected presence in the force. He didn't have to open his eyes to recognize the force signature.

"Obi-Wan."

Maybe the heat was finally taking its toll on his body, making him hallucinate.

"Qui-Gon."

He chanced a peek at the man, immediately getting a fresh wave of déjà-vu. There he was, Qui-Gon Jinn, the man he hadn't seen in what seemed to be a thousand years, but what had really been thirteen. He hadn't aged since his death, looking not a day over sixty. He still had his petrichor smell, like the earth after rain, his hair was as glorious as it had ever been, looking ethereal in the sunlight provided by Tatooine's twin suns. He was truly becoming, and after years of imagining their reunion, even though nearly impossible, it had finally come.

"Tell me, did you train the boy?"

Ah. There it was. His trip down memory lane resurfaced; his Master had found a new apprentice, a replacement, and his dying wish, his last words, they just had to be 'train the boy'. Not a goodbye then, not a hello now. It was quite frustrating for Obi-Wan, but even more-so depressing.

"That's it?" Opening his eyes fully, he let his smile become bitter. "Is that truly the only thing you care about? You die for thirteen years and think you can just come back unannounced, demanding for answers? I mourned, thinking I could never bear an ill-thought about you, even though you left me with nothing. _Nothing_. You left me with your dying wish, one that the Council did not approve of. I betrayed my instincts, what the force was telling _me_ , just to honor you. You always thought that the force was the panacea, that it could solve all of our problems. I wish it could."

"Obi-Wan, where is this all coming from?"

"I apologize, I have gone off topic. Surely, you didn't raise me to be improper. Anyhow, I'll make sure I give you a run-down on everything that happened in your absence. I don't know how to ready you for the gravity of the situation we're in, but I suppose you can handle it."

"I am ready. Yoda said you would explain."

Obi-Wan silently cursed the old toad. Leave it to Yoda to avoid all tight situations.

"What if I told you I trained Anakin as you wanted, only for my efforts and teachings to become futile? That a greater force convinced him that the Jedi were not to be trusted? What if Anakin fell in love?"

"But it is against the Jedi code."

Ignoring him, he continued his rant. "What if I told you he hid his relationship and got married? What if I told you he killed Master Windu and all the younglings? What if I told you that order 66 was executed by the emperor, by the ruler of the Senate, purging all remaining Jedi, eliminating all remaining allies we have? What if I told you that only two remain? We tried to build a better future, a peaceful one, but as Yoda says, there is no try. Ergo, we failed."

"Obi-Wan, you haven't failed. Not to me."

"You're right. I did everything I could to make Anakin stronger, to make him one with the force. Now he is a Sith. It seems I have succeeded," he countered with a brittle voice.

They lapsed into a deafening silence.

"Is there... is there anything else?"

"I have given his two children away, hiding their existence from their father. I'm looking over the boy, he is here, on Tatooine. He is force sensitive, and so, once he is of age, I will train him as I once trained his father. I will not fail this time."

"'Tis a long and lonely road you have chosen, my Padawan."

"I am used to the suffering," he chided harshly. "Besides, I will survive, I am no longer a Padawan. It has been a long time since I was."

"You will always be my Padawan, Obi-Wan."

He laughed dryly, "It seems not. I'm afraid your memory fails you, Qui-Gon. Don't you remember replacing me?"

"Replacing you? I would do no such thing. You were ready to be knighted, and I was ready to take on another."

"I was not ready, you and I both knew it then and we both know it now. Did I not have a large enough midi-chlorian count? Was I not good enough for you?" His mental shields wavered, letting his emotions and memories seep through to Qui-Gon. Noticing this, he quickly shielded his mind and recomposed himself.

His former Master didn't let this go by unnoticed, however. He was submerged into Obi-Wan's pain, confusion, and regret. He also looked into one of his fleeting memories and was brought back to the time when they delivered Anakin to the Jedi Council. His heart clenched at the memory.

 _"He is too old. There is already too much anger in him."_

 _"He is the chosen one, you must see it."_

 _"Clouded this boy's future is. Masked by his youth."_

 _"I will train him, then. I take Anakin as my Padawan learner."_

 _Just like that. Obi-Wan had been replaced just like that._ Qui-Gon felt the other man's pain and jealousy clearly, albeit their lack of a mental bond.

 _"An apprentice, you have, Qui-Gon. Impossible, to take on a second."_

 _"Obi-Wan is ready..."_

 _"I am ready to face the trials."_

 _"Ready so early, are you? What know you of ready?"_

 _'I know that my Master is ready to take on another, eager to rid of me.'_

 _Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchange angry looks. The latter did not want the former to leave him so early on in his training. He wasn't ready at all to face the trials, even Yoda knew as much._

The memory folded into itself and molded into a new one just as quickly.

 _"It is not disrespect, Master, it is the truth."_

 _"From your point of view."_

 _"The boy is dangerous, they all sense it. Why can't you?"_

 _"His fate is uncertain, not dangerous. The Council will decide Anakin's future, that should be enough for you."_

"We all tried to warn you, you know. Alas, we could never break your pride, and I could never break my promise to you."

The scene morphed swiftly into one of tragedy.

 _"Master! Master!"_

 _"It is too late."_

 _"No!"_

 _"Obi-Wan promise- promise me you'll train the boy."_

 _"Yes, Master."_

 _"He is the chosen one, he will bring balance. Train him!"_

 _As Qui-Gon takes his last breath, Obi-Wan cradles his Master, quietly weeping._

"I hope you're happy, that you got what you wanted."

Qui-Gon stares at him disbelievingly, "We both know that bitterness and regret is the only thing that has come out of this."

"You've redefined your legacy."

"Obi-Wan, I-"

He cuts him off with a spiteful and condescending tone. " **Congratulations**."


End file.
